Marvel's Loki TV series gave the Asgardian God of Mischief a whole new lease on life, bringing him to Disney+ and earning him a new legion of fans. Starting with Loki's escape with the Tesseract during Avengers: Endgame's time heist, the show saw Loki recruited by the Time Variance Authority in order to hunt an alternate version of himself.
Examining both the idea of time travel and the multiverse, the show proved a huge hit with fans and was commissioned for a second season. However, it didn't always stay true to the comics, either in terms of plot or character development.
10 In The Comics, The Time Variance Authority Hasn't Played A Major Role In Loki's Recent Storylines
Though the Time Variance Authority (TVA) does exist in the comics, it hasn't played a major role in Loki's recent storylines. Instead, the comics focused far more on Loki's relationship with his extended family and, indeed, himself.
Given Loki canonically died in Avengers: Infinity War, only to be saved by the Avengers' time-traveling shenanigans in Endgame, it makes sense that the TVA would be interested in this version of Loki. Nevertheless, it represents a major change from the source material.
9 Old Man Loki Is Far More Evil In The Comics
In the comics, the older version of Loki exists as a warning to the young one; an ominous promise that he will never be able to redeem himself or escape his past. He is a Loki devoid of good, a cackling madman who only wants to watch the world burn.
In the show, however, beloved actor Richard E. Grant plays him as a relatively sweet old man, with plenty of power but no real desire for universal domination. Though their costumes may be similar, these two iterations of the character are hugely different.
8 Kid Loki Is More Ruthless In The Show
Yet another variant who differs from the character that inspired them is Kid Loki. In the comics, Kid Loki is a version of the villain who has been reborn, free of his former self's sins. Though he struggles against his darker instincts, and other Asgardians' belief that he is fundamentally evil, he ultimately represents the best of Loki.
On the other hand, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) version of the character is far more ruthless; despite being much younger than any of the other Lokis, he is apparently the only one to have successfully killed Thor, separating him from his comic book counterpart.
7 Sylvie Was Not A Loki Variant In The Comics
The original Sylvie was in fact a young human girl who was given the powers of Amora, the Asgardian sorceress, and took on her pseudonym, The Enchantress. In contrast, the MCU's version of the character is in fact another Loki variant, one who had her parents pruned by the TVA as a child.
Going on the run, she began to develop her own identity, eventually taking the name Sylvie and attacking the TVA, before coming face-to-face with Tom Hiddleston's iteration of the God of Mischief. Whilst the MCU's Sylvie may have the same name and powers as her comic book counterpart, this was a major detour from the source material.
6 He Who Remains Never Appeared In Loki's Comics
Whilst the comic book version of Loki went up against many antagonists, the most important battle he faced was with alternate versions of himself. On the other hand, Loki's nemesis on the Disney+ series is He Who Remains, a mysterious mastermind who uses the TVA to prevent the re-emergence of a multiverse.
There isn't a comparable character in the Loki comics, suggesting that this choice was made to introduce the villain Kang—heavily implied to be an alternate version of He Who Remains to the MCU.
5 Thor Doesn't Appear In The Disney+ Show
One of the major benefits of a shared comic book universe is that it allows characters to crossover between titles. As a result, it makes sense that Loki's brother, Thor, would regularly appear in the God of Mischief's comic book.
Unfortunately, due to scheduling conflicts and a lower budget, the MCU's version of Thor did not show up in Loki's Disney+ show. As a result, the series had to find other, similarly moral characters to act as a counterbalance to Loki's devious nature.
4 D.B. Cooper Is Never Mentioned In The Comics
Though comic book Loki has been involved in plenty of harebrained schemes throughout his life, there has never been any mention of him being D.B. Cooper. The real D.B. Cooper was a criminal who held a plane hostage, receiving a ransom of $200,000 before jumping out of the plane mid-flight.
The Disney+ show claims that D.B. Cooper was, in fact, Loki, who hijacked the plane as a result of a lost bet with Thor. It also explains Cooper's sudden disappearance by showing Heimdall rescuing him. Though it may never appear in the comics, it's an ingenious twist on a real event, and perfectly fits Loki's character.
3 The Multiverse Isn't As Important In The Comics As In The Show
Although Loki has had to deal with many alternate versions of himself in the comics, the multiverse has never been a central theme in his story. That all changed with the Disney+ show, which saw the TVA attempting to prevent the rebirth of a multiverse by ruthlessly pruning so-called variables.
The last episode, which saw Loki and Sylvie confront He Who Remains, saw them kill the mastermind, destroying the sacred timeline and allowing new worlds to be born. In retrospect, it worked as the perfect introduction to What If...? but at the time it seemed to be a major divergence from the comics.
2 Comic Book Loki Doesn't Fall In Love
One of the central relationships in Disney+'s Loki was that between Loki and his variant Sylvie. The two forged a genuine connection that grew increasingly romantic in nature. This contrasts with the comics, where Loki has rarely, if ever, been shown to be capable of romantic love.
Whilst he has developed important relationships, these have been platonic; with his adoptive brother, Thor, or his best friend Verity. Seeing a Loki so willing to be vulnerable for the sake of love was incredibly weird for long-time fans of the comics.
1 Mobius Never Gets Clones In The Show
Owen Wilson's performance as TVA agent Mobius proved to be one of the major highlights of the Disney+ series. However, whilst he managed to bring his signature charm and offbeat humor to the show, his version never explored the idea of Mobius having clones.
Whilst the comic book version of Mobius is also a mid-level bureaucrat at the TVA, he has a number of clones who do similar work. This could be explored in the second season of Loki, but for the moment it's a major difference between the show and the comics.
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